The Book
by meridian-rose
Summary: Missing scene from "Red Sky"; takes place after Jack's speech in the church. Erica confesses the tragic act she had to commit in order to secure their victory and Jack reveals one of the ways in which he copes with the losses; the dead will be remembered


Missing scene from "Red Sky"; takes place after Jack's speech in the church. Erica confesses the tragic act she had to commit in order to secure their victory and Jack reveals one of the ways in which he copes with the losses; the dead will be remembered.

* * *

Jack was high on an adrenaline rush after his speech. He'd made a choice, took a stand, and now he would have to wait and see what the outcome of that was. His hands were shaking a little as he removed his outer vestments in the office.

"What are you going to do now?" Erica asked.

"I don't know. I'll look for another church," Jack said. "There might be others who feel, as I do, that our acceptance of the Visitors has come too easily and at too high a price."

Erica nodded sadly. Jack glanced at her, and then at Hobbes, who sitting on the sofa, unusually quiet.

"You did what you set out to do?" Jack asked.

Erica nodded. "The eggs are gone."

"But?" There had to be a "but" for her to be so distraught rather than ecstatic about it.

Erica took a deep breath. "They took my purse but Lisa knew what I was planning. She's Fifth Column. She gave me an energy grenade which is what I used to destroy Anna's eggs."

"That's wonderful," Jack said with a genuine smile. "If her own daughter has turned against her, we may have a chance."

"I know," Erica said. "But we paid for this victory. Joshua paid for it. He helped me. But for me to escape, for me to go undetected as Fifth Column –" She shook her head, took a shaky breath, "I had to shoot him."

Jack moved forward as her resolve faltered, touched her shoulder.

"He's dead. I killed him."

Jack pulled her close. "Oh, Erica."

He closed his eyes briefly and said a prayer. Despite his opposition to the Visitors as a whole, he believed whole heartedly that those who developed emotions, like Joshua, had souls. And Joshua deserved to gain entrance to heaven for all he'd done to help the cause.

She pulled away. She hated to show weakness, he knew.

"We can't keep losing people," she said. She looked over at Hobbes, who aside from a moment of surprise showing on his face hadn't reacted at all. Not even some quip about collateral damage. "Hey. This is where you get the glasses."

As he'd done when they'd lost Georgie, Jack remembered. It was a still painful wound. The mercenary didn't argue just went and poured whiskey into three glasses and handed them around.

"To Joshua," Erica said. "May I be forgiven for ending the life of someone who was dear to our cause, a kind and compassionate man –" she hesitated and then went on, with more resolve, "A _man _who willingly sacrificed himself to save me and to protect the work of the Fifth Column. We will remember."

"Amen," Jack said. They all downed the whisky.

Jack went to his desk. There was a lot of clutter, stuff he'd have to sort and pack when he moved, he thought. He pulled open a drawer and took out a notebook. He carried it over to his companions and opened it.

"This book is very dear to me," he said. It was just a hardback, spiral bound jotter, but what was in it was desperately important.

"These pages list everyone who has died because of the Visitors. Every person I know of, starting with Commander David Faulkner, the first person to lose their lives because of the aliens. Because when we win the war there'll be a need to remember them, all of them. To erect a memorial of some description. And this is my way of trying to keep a record of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice because of the Visitors."

Erica nodded approvingly. "Someone should do it," she said.

Jack hadn't finished. He flipped to mid-way through the book. "These names are those of people I know personally. I can't just write them among the list of so many, when I feel their loss more keenly. Georgie's name is here. And now Joshua's will be too."

Erica bit at her lip.

"I pray every day I won't have to add your names to this book," Jack said. "God willing I never will. And God willing, you won't have to do what I'm going to ask of you now. Because if I should be killed fighting the Visitors, then one of you must take over the book. Keep it safe. Keep it updated. And write my name in it."

Erica nodded then turned away abruptly and paced over to the window. Hobbes nodded, subdued.

"We'll do it." He glanced at his watch. "Where the hell's Ryan anyway?"

That got Erica's attention. Jack stared at his own careful handwriting and hoped Ryan Nichols wouldn't be the next name in the list. They'd done what they'd intended; the eggs were destroyed, buying them precious time, and he'd made a stand. It should have been a time for celebration, not mourning. Yet somehow they were all a little more broken now. He could only pray time would heal these new wounds.

Tomorrow would be a new day, Jack thought, carefully closing the book. A new start. Another chance. He couldn't know that the next day the sky would turn red.


End file.
